Separate but Unequal

Separate but Unequal provides an in-depth critique of the ideology of parallelism—the prevailing view that Indigenous cultures and the wider Canadian society should exist separately from one another in a “nation-to-nation” relationship.Using the Final Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples as an example, this historical and material analysis shows how the single-minded pursuit of parallelism will not result in a more balanced relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. On the contrary, it merely restores archaic economic, political, and ideological forms that will continue to isolate the Indigenous population.This book provides an alternative framework for examining Indigenous dependency. This new perspective—the political economy of neotribal rentierism—shows that Indigenous Peoples’ circumstances have been inextricably linked to the development of capitalism in Canada. While Indigenous Peoples were integral participants in the fur trade, the transition from mercantilism to industrial capitalism led to their marginalization.Published in English.

This new book by Professor Widdowson must be read by anyone who wants to understand and improve the lives of Indigenous People., A fearless book, Separate but Unequal needs to be read for its rigorous critique of conventional wisdom—on the right and the left—about the history, the current conditions, and the best ways forward for Indigenous [P]eoples in Canada. It makes a unique contribution to our most important public policy debate.

Frances Widdowson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies at Mount Royal University. She has co-written and co-edited (with Albert Howard) two books on Aboriginal policy, Disrobing the Aboriginal Industry: The Deception Behind Indigenous Cultural Preservation, shortlisted for the Donner Prize, and Approaches to Aboriginal Education in Canada: Searching for Solutions. She is currently editing a volume on indigenizing the University, and is undertaking an investigation of how advocacy studies are “murdering” the human sciences.